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Idle No More protest takes over Vancouver's Waterfront Station

First Nations drummers and dancers attend the Idle No More rally at the Waterfront station, Vancouver, January 02 2013.

Photograph by: Gerry Kahrmann
, PNG

Protesters with the aboriginal movement known as Idle No More took over half of downtown Vancouver’s Waterfront Station Wednesday afternoon.

The protest included more than 300 people chanting and drumming amid the concourse of the busy commuter hub.

“It’s such an amazing movement because we’re coming in a cultural way, singing and dancing, and no one’s ever seen that before,” said Jerilynn Webster, a 28-year-old aboriginal hip hop artist from Vancouver. “It sounds ancient. Why? Because we’ve been here as indigenous people for thousands of years, taking care of the land.

“We need to tell Canada, yeah you may have one idea about what a reserve looks like in your own mind, but we need to expand our minds and say this is third-world-country living conditions that our people live in.”

The peaceful station protest, which lasted just over an hour, moved outside around 4 p.m. as supporters began to leave and a smaller group of about 50 drummers continued for another hour in a plaza outside the station.

Meanwhile on Tuesday, Pamela Palmater, one of the leaders of the movement, travelled to Washington, D.C., to give interviews to the U.S. press. She said the goal of the media campaign was to raise awareness internationally and force Prime Minister Stephen Harper to act.

"The idea is to put pressure on the Canadian government to pay attention and come to the table," Palmater said by phone.

"I was invited to come down and do some media about Idle No More, basically answer questions about why it's spreading into the United States."

In addition to recent events held across Canada, rallies have already been staged as far off as Texas, Hawaii and New Zealand with plans for more in the coming days.

Palmater said Chief Theresa Spence's hunger strike, now in its fourth week, is part of a much larger protest movement.

The initial spark was the federal government's omnibus budget legislation but it has now become about broader issues like inequality and treaty rights, she said.

Palmater noted an evolution in the form protests have taken over the past few weeks, toward increased civil disobedience.

"We did letter writing and phone calls and trying to talk to MPs and, you know, we took that route and it didn't work," she said.

"Then we had to move up to peaceful marches and rallies, and that didn't work. So now we're doing all these flash mob round dances, which are more about working hand in hand with Canadians and also keeping the focus on the media. But now you see blockades."

There have been several disruptions at rail lines over the past week, including one on the main line between Montreal and Toronto on Sunday evening which delayed Via Rail passengers. Protesters have also blocked a CN line in Sarnia, Ont.

There was even a call to set up blockades at Canada-U.S. borders on Saturday, though that move hasn't been endorsed by organizers.

It wasn't clear whether local activists would follow through.

A statement released last week on the Idle No More website urged peaceful forms of protest.

"Idle No More feels that any acts that are not in line with peace and solidarity only detract attention from our ultimate mission," the statement said.

Palmater echoed that sentiment on Tuesday.

"We're trying our best to avoid things that would inconvenience Canadians," she said.

Meanwhile, Spence's hunger strike continued to gain support from across the country. A group of activists travelled from the Maritimes to bring supplies to her protest site, located on an island in the Ottawa River across from Parliament Hill.

Aboriginal Affairs Minister John Duncan has offered to meet with her but Spence has turned that proposal down.

The federal government says it has made an effort to consult with aboriginal leaders and work on pressing issues on reserves like education, clean drinking water and housing.

It points to a meeting held last January with First Nations leaders as proof it is serious about improving their relationship.

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